Show and Tell & Thesaurus Thursday

YIKES!!!
Somehow or another in all the hoop-de-la yesterday I managed to forget that it was once again Thursday. AND that there was a little something I do on Thursday. So I shall put both Yesterday's and Today's regular posts in one.

First off, our T-T words are
immure
oriel

Have fun making up silly definitions and leaving them in the comments.
As usual, I'll post the answers on Saturday (tomorrow).

AND

Kelli is hosting show and tell Friday again

So, here's mine.




This is the flag that flies above our mailbox. For Subvet's 50th birthday I had a flag flown over the Capitol Building in DC and then sent to him. That particular flag served its full lifetime duty and has since been cremated, however we always have a flag flying. Subvet is very conscientious about respecting all national times of mourning (ie flying at half-mast). For anyone interested in having a flag flown in DC write to your senator. The cost is comparable to that of the flag. You then tell them in whose honor the flag is flying. You can specify a date, (you'll receive it about 2 weeks later) or you can say "in honor of..." and have the flag to give on the special day. They send a very nice certificate with the flag suitable for framing.

Which leads me to this email that I got today.


Get your flag ready for 09/11/2007

Please join us in this FLY THE FLAG campaign and PLEASE forward this Email immediately to everyone in your address book asking them to also forward it. We have a few days and counting to get the word out all across this great land and into every community in the United States of America .

If you forward this email to least 11 people and each of those people do the same ... you get the idea.

THE PROGRAM:

On Tuesday, September 11th, 2007, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States . Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this sixth anniversary of our country's worst tragedy. We do this honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds

Action Plan:

So, here's what we need you to do ...

(1) Forward this email to everyone you know . Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.

(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day.

Thank you for your participation. God Bless You and God Bless America !


I will have to ask Subvet when he gets up if we're going to be at half mast on 9/11, if so I will let you know.


POP QUIZ!
There are only 2 appropriate ways to dispose of worn out American Flags, I named one, who can name the other??

What does flying the American Flag upside-down mean??

Does your American Flag ever touch the ground??

Is it appropriate to fly the American Flag at night??

First day of preschool

Hooray! We made it through our first day of pre-school for both boys. Now Sonshine went to this same school last year but this was Gator-boy's first experience.

Everything went great for them. Sonshine's teacher is totally cool with the potty training difficulties so I'm feeling much better about that.

What I wanted to tell you folks tonight was about the other parents at school.

They were what I call "Paparazzi Parents"

I thought I was at a disco club with all the flashes going off in the halls of that school. Now, the older kids started earlier this week and the 5 day a week preschool kids as well as the MWF preschool kids all started yesterday. So the only ones "documenting" their little darling's first day of school were 2-4 year olds who only go to "school" two days a week. I mean really---give me a break here! He isn't leaving to study overseas for a year.

This one lady took the cake, all the icing and even the ice cream on top....

I'm heading out the door after making sure each kid got into the correct classroom then pulling the old "duck and run." I'm getting good at that! I notice this older lady just hanging out under the tree by the door. I really didn't think much of her really. I'd gotten there early and snagged the coveted parking spot directly in front of the door so that I wouldn't have to drag kids and stuff so far. As I'm starting the car I see this lady pull out a video camera. So I look around to see what she's taping. Boy and Mom are walking from the parking lot...about 20 yards away. She tapes them all the way down the sidewalk...makes boy stop in front of the doors and smile...then follows them in the school and down the hall....tape running the whole time.

I was amazed, simply amazed.

Literally rolling on the floor laughing!!

OK, I have a post to type...but I'm currently fielding emails from two good friends and unable to spend time typing on this blog...

There's another email to answer.

So I will give you this, it's gonna make you smile for sure.

There's two more emails....

too true!!

this made me cry so fair warning.

Organization

Ellen at The Happy Wonderer shared her weekly schedule and to-do list.
While you're checking her list out, look at today's Wordless Wednesday! It makes me want to abandon everything and sleep in the sun!!!


I thought I would share our calendar. Aside from the usual scheduled doctor's visits for Sugars we also have a total of 4 therapy visits for the boys a week and they start preschool 2 days a week tomorrow. I am also very involved in church, including a new Bible Study on Romans that we will be hosting on Sun nights. Also, I have started a Fun Family Field Trip for Free once a month at church. It started at the beginning of the summer for families with kids under 12. We meet at the church parking lot and caravan to some destination for a little fun and fellowship. It was so popular that the moms of the pre-school crowd have asked me to continue it. I am also trying to get a Sit'n'Sew off the ground at church.... And Subvet works as much OT (overtime) as his boss will give him.

So, as you can imagine, organization is key. I have 2 calendars, a small wallet sized one that I write everything in and take with me places and a wall calendar that is dry erase and color coded by family member.





Have I mentioned that we only have 1 (ONE) car? And we live in the boonies, no public transportation out here unless you count taxis and they charge extra to come out this far for a pickup. To give you an idea, Dominoes doesn't deliver here.





In this picture you can see the boys' pictorial calendar for the week. I started this when Sonshine started school last year, because he wanted to go every day. I use it to teach the days of the week plus the passage of time (today is Wednesday, tomorrow is Thursday, you go to school on Thursday). This calendar has been blank all summer, now I'm going to have to make pictures for each therapy and designate 1 row for Sonshine and one for Gator-Boy..............

Wonderful World

OK, I stole this from a new commenter here, Diana at Sunshine on my shoulders.

I love this song and this person definitely has an "unusual talent"!!!!

Enjoy!

In honor of 100

HA, well, it sounded like a good title...it's actually Post 101. Can't believe I've written that much.

When Subvet got me all set up here on blogger I told him I felt like I had a lot to say...and no one to say it to. Guess this is proof!

I'm very thankful that each of you come by here and read my silly musings. I consider you dear friends. So, I thought I'd go down my list and tell the #1 thing that I like about each of my regular commenters. If you're a new regular commenter I will get to know you better before I pick just 1 thing! "Come in! and know me better, man!" (can you place that quote? here's a hint, it's from a book that I start reading every December.)

Linda, at Are We There Yet? - I love the way she totally supports her teenage daughters!

Glen at Ballseye's Boomers - I love the shooting tips.

BWH at Big White Hat - I love how he supports all parents of children with PDD.

Diane at Diane's Place - I love how she's working her hiney off to take care of her granddaughter.

DaD at Infantry Dad - I love how he goes out of his way to support military families.

Mirre at Kiss Kus - I love how she shares bits of life in The Netherlands.

Kitty at Kitty's Korner - I love her sincerity in every post and comment.

No Apology at No Apology - I love all the research and time he puts into each post.

Pea at Pea's Corner - I love her Fairy Garden.

Jennifer at PenofJen, McBenning School, LotsforLess, JeLi deSigns, and The New Me - I love that she keeps saying I'm funny!

Susan at Penless Writer - I love that she's an (unintentional) online preacher!

Stephanie at Scraps - I love how smart she is! She's known the most T-T words to date AND named Sonshine's baby quilt pattern!!

Chief at Smoldering Embers In A Mohawk Campfire - I love that I always laugh out loud reading his site!

Subvet at Blowing San #1 - "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways! One Onethousand, Two Onethousand......" (that one's a movie) I love our life together! Blog-wise, I love that he stays on top of all the political "stuff" and is still able to keep his sense of humor, something I can't do.

Cookie at The Cook Shack - I love his motto, "Never trust a skinny cook."

Ellen at The Happy Wonderer - I love that she frequently breaks out into song and will post entire song lyrics, I also enjoy the glimpses into her Russian heritage.

Heather at The Zoo - I love that she recently had all the girl cousins in her family over for an enormous sleep-over...and she survived!!

Eren at This Vintage Chica - I love that she works hard at raising her 3 little boys.

OK, now, I thought that just for fun I'd have a little pop-quiz. (Don't worry, it's open blog.) There are 4 rooms in my house that are painted different colors, other than white. Can you name the colors? I'll email every correct entry a copy of my favorite punch recipe. If you can also match the correct color to the correct room you'll get a copy of my late aunt's Fantastic Crawfish Etouffee' recipe thrown in!

Happy Searching!!

News!!

Yesterday something sad happened to me. I was teasing my husband while the Wiggles were playing (a new find for us) and I decided I'd get up and dance with the video. I tried to make it through one of the songs singing and dancing and I was VERY out of breath by the end. Yes, I'm not allowed to try to lose the weight, but this is ridiculous. So, my new exercise video.



Can you do it without getting out of breath? (remember to sing and dance..at the same time)

by the way. I have Gator-boy in here with me when I was looking up that video...he did the whole dance as it played!


In other news. Here's how I know when my hubby has missed me during the day.




See my pillow in the middle of the bed??

After 8 years together, sleeping alone has been the hardest adjustment to him working nights!

He knows when I miss him because I'm covered up in his bathrobe....

tags

OK, PenofJen tagged me at her homeschool blog. So, I'm finally going to try and do this one.


ACCENT - born and bred in and around the Dallas, Texas area, you figure out if I have an accent!


I DON"T DRINK - caffeine...at least not very often. I'm not a teetotaler, but in my hubby's words I'm "dry as dust" in the alcohol department.


CHORE I HATE - cleaning the litter box. Ever since we started trying to get pregnant (6 years ago) my hubby has solely done this chore, for which I am eternally grateful.

PETS - 2 cats, Mr. Boots and Speedy girl

ESSENTIAL ELECTRONICS - cellphone, digital camera, I guess now I'd have to add the computer heehee.

PERFUME - none. I'm allergic to most perfumes so I don't bother trying to find one to wear. Hubby can't hardly smell anyway. :-)

GOLD or SILVER - who cares? These days I don't even put things in the holes in my ears because if I did someone would just pull on it. I also don't wear my engagement ring when they're babies as I kept scratching them with it.


INSOMNIA - periodically.


JOB TITLE - Wife, Mother, Walking Milk Factory, Jungle Gym, Playground Monitor, Photographer,.........


MOST ADMIRED TRAIT - heck if I know....you tell me!

KIDS - 2 sons, 1 daughter


PHOBIA - heights

RELIGION - "I am a born again Christian, knowing of my destiny. I am part of the body of Christ." This is Jen's answer, I thought it was cool so I left it. I will add that I am a life-long Methodist.

SIBLINGS - 2 Half-brothers and 1 Half-sister

TIME I WAKE UP - The very last moment required to get kids going for whatever they have today...hubby usually gets breakfast started before I roll out of bed. Yup, he spoils me rotten!

UNUSUAL TALENT/SKILL - well, I have been blessed with many talents but I don't know that I'd call them unusual. hhmmmm have to think.

VEGETABLE - Well, I love okra just about any way you can make it. (except maybe raw.) I like just about any veggie but squash, zucchini or Lima beans.


WORST HABIT - now why would I go and tell you that??

X-RAYS - dental and a zillion sonograms for the babies.

MY FAVORITE MEAL - Hubby's homemade cream of mushroom soup. Anything Cajun. My Step-mom's Etouffee', Jambalaya and Gumbo top the list.


OK, Susan also did a fun meme that I thought I'd play along with.

Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.My middle name is...........


H - Helen Louise is my aunt who died as a child. She is my namesake.

E - "Everybody loves Mom" that's what hubby tells me...everywhere I go I always have a minimum of 2 kids and 2 cats following me

L - Love "Faith, Hope, Love, abide these three, but the greatest of these is Love" 1 Corinthians 13:13

E - Endless laundry and dirty diapers

N - Never a dull moment!! This is such a fun time in my life!! It's wonderful to know that I am right where God wants me to be doing just what He wants me to do!

OK, now for the tags....uuummmm

I'm gonna retag Jen for the middle name one.
Diane
Linda
Stephanie
Pea

Early Morning Thoughts

Now, for me this title is a paradox, as I'm not a morning person and usually have no thoughts before 10am.
However, we were up early today and my brain activated at around 7am. Stop the presses and mark the calendar!!

Here's my thought. How do you react to acts of generosity?

As I see it there are 3 possible reactions.
1) a sense of 'I deserved that' which leads to entitlement and greed.
2) hurt pride that someone 'took pity' on you to help which leads to anger, resentment, bitterness
3) a graciousness that says thank you for seeing my need and extending a hand. Then remembering that kindness the next time you're in a place to give.

I've seen examples in my life of how different a situation can be simply on if the person responded with hurt pride or with grace. It can make or break relationships. When a habit of responding one way or the other is formed, this becomes a defining part of the person's life. Ever wondered what the difference was between the kind, loving, happy old lady and the critical, bitter, resentful old lady? They both faced a lifetime of hardships, ups and downs. What caused them to become such different people? I believe it all boils down to this basic difference.

Now, you may not think you can change that first gut reaction, but I beg to differ. It takes work and consistency but it can be done.
Every time you're faced with receiving generosity make a point of repaying kindness with kindness. Not necessarily to the same person, not even on the same $$ scale, but when and where you're able to help another remember the one who helped you.

And always remember that the only thing a generous person expects back is a heart felt thank you.

Constant Vigilance!!

Yes, folks,
I am quoting Mad Eye Moody.

Today things were a little bit hectic. We had Grannie over for lunch after church and naps were a bit delayed to allow her time to play. In my "get these kids in bed, NOW" moment, I forgot to change Gator-boy into the backwards jammies that are so far keeping him from getting that beloved diaper off.

Also in the last couple of weeks Sonshine has learned that he can indeed open doors. To ensure Mom gets to sleep past about 5:30am we have put child-proof door knob covers on the inside of the boys' bedroom door. As well as on several other doors that we don't want the little darlings opening.

So, the boys had been "in bed" for their nap for about 45 minutes today when we see Gator-boy walking down the hall toward us.

Necked from the waist down

Poop hanging out his hiney.
(oh joy)



Sonshine comes along behind him saying "need to give to momma, need give to momma"
Holding in his hands...



OH yeah, that would be the 2 pieces of the "CHILD PROOF" door knob cover.



Daddy's solution:


Subvet-ism #458
Duct tape, it's like The Force, it has a dark side and a light side and it holds the universe together.

T-T Answer

It's been busy around here and will be for the rest of the weekend, so here's the definitions. Stephanie was the only one who knew what kapok was and all the made up definitions were hilarious so I couldn't pick a winner!

kapok - n. the silky down that invests the seeds of a tropical silk-cotton tree. Ceiba pentandra used for stuffing pillows, life jackets, etc., and for acoustical insulation.


pretermit - v.t. 1. to let pass without notice; disregard. 2 to leave undone; neglect; omit. 3. to suspend or interrupt.

Solution to Hubby's Request

Well, my reserve brain cell decided to turn on after I wrote this post. Here's what it came up with.

Sonshine wears 5T, Gator-boy wears 3T...I have boxes of 4T clothes waiting to pass down....

DUH!!

In those boxes are about 6 zippered jammies. They're even a size too big to accommodate being worn backwards!!!


So, me and my Pinking Shears got busy and


voila!

(these pics are dark...sorry)


Now, apparently Sonshine's memory is more developed than I realized.


He threw a fit over giving Gator HIS jammies.



So, here's a lesson in sharing....



Now we're all set....that is until Sonshine decides he wants to unzip Gator's jammies for him.



BOYS!!!

Hubby's request

Well folks,
Subvet asked me to see if y'all had an answer for our little dilemma.

Gator-boy has put us in a bit of a quandary.

He's become a streaker.

Every time he's left alone in his room he strips. We walk in after nap-time or in the mornings and there he is....necked as a jay-bird.

And he's usually peed all over something.
I was washing sheets at 1 o'clock this MORNING because when I checked on the boys there they were, sound asleep, Gator-boy necked as the day he was born, with a BIG puddle in the middle of the bed.

I have 2 solutions that I haven't tried just yet.

One is to take a big safety pin (a diaper pin if I can find them) and pin his shirt, shorts, and diaper together behind his back. Subby's afraid he'll find a way to undo the safety pin and then poke someone with it.

The other is to buy one piece zippered jammies and put them on backwards. Zipping up the back. I may try to find some after payday, but they aren't real plentiful in Texas in the middle of August.

Sooooo
what do YOU suggest??

Show and Tell

Kelli is hosting show and tell Friday again

So, here's mine.





This is Sonshine's baby quilt. I started it pretty early in my pregnancy and he got it for his first birthday. I came to call it my "therapy quilt, or sanity quilt." To understand this you have to get some background into that pregnancy. First off, we tried to get pregnant for two years before being successful. This time period includes a miscarriage. I started spotting at 8 weeks and was put on bedrest for about a week. Then it was smooth sailing until the 20 week sonogram. It showed a problem with his brain (too much fluid). From then on out it was one thing after another. I was going for scheduled monthly sonos at the perinatologist's to see if the brain fluid had normalized. I was already considered "high risk" because I am what is known as a "cardiac mom" (meaning I have a heart condition). My OB was very overprotective of everything. I lost weight for the first half of the pregnancy and only ended up gaining 15lbs (as opposed to the 20-30 recommended). At 33 weeks I started spotting again, I happened to be at work and my head nurse (and dear friend) took my blood pressure (she can't tell you why she took it...we say Divine Intervention). It was high. That was the last day I worked. I went to the hospital for the first of what we call our "false starts" From there I was sent home on bedrest for Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (aka Pre-eclampsia). Every week I went in to see the OB, each time (just about) he sent me for a sono to check on something or other. In the meantime the brain issue was still there. I was taking my blood pressure a couple times a day and spotting off and on. I don't remember how many false starts we had. 3 or 4 I think. At about 35 or 36 weeks the brain fluid finally normalized. When I was at 37 weeks I went for a regular OB check up. He hooked me up to a monitor for a Non-Stress Test. It showed little drops in the heart rate (variable decelerations). I went over to the perinatologist for an urgent sono, then on to the hospital to be induced. Sonshine was born the next night, November 25. He was "a blue baby." (nucal cord). But we were able to go home ontime. Because of his brain fluid issue I'd prepared myself to have a special needs baby. We just didn't know what impact there would be. I remember when he was 6 months old sitting and bawling my eyes out because it hit me that he was normal. Through all of this I worked on that quilt. I'd picked a ridiculously time consuming quilting pattern of hearts. I tried to get a picture that would show it.





Throughout the whole pregnancy, whenever I would get to worrying about my baby I'd just sit and quilt. (I couldn't do anything else anyway) I prayed as I quilted. And I made my "mommy plans" imagining all the things we'd do together. It brought me comfort and peace in a time that was far from either.

I was most proud when he went to pre-school and I saw all the bought blankets the other kids had for nap-time and I knew that Sonshine had his lovey that his momma'd worked very hard on and that had prayers sewn into every stitch.

Kids and Decency

Well, folks.

We went to meet the teacher today. All of the boys' teachers seem to be great and I think they (the boys) will do very well this year. Sonshine's teacher didn't blink when I said we "were working on" the potty training as opposed to "being trained." She even gave ways that she could help, so I feel a LOT better about that! I've been asked for a potty training update. Well, he hasn't peed in the pot yet. BUT I spent time yesterday making him cloth training pants. I hand sewed cloth diapers (that had extra padding) into underwear and he loves them! He has discovered that wet underwear feels yukky and now tells me as soon as he pees to go potty. This is a step in the right direction.

In other news. Sugars rolled from back to belly this afternoon. Oh, and that tooth I said she had? It disappeared. I know I felt something sharp in there the other day, but dang if I can find it now. But she chomped a bruise on my knuckle last night so I'm sure we won't have to buy her teeth. I promised each child that if they didn't have teeth by the time they started school I'd buy them a set. That way the poor baby could relax and stop worrying about when those teeth will cut.




Now, on to the "Decency" part of this post.

Check out this outfit that someone (I forget who) bought for Sugars.




cute huh? Yeah, I thought so too.



Now, check out how it looks on her.






Yup, want a better view??





You betcha. An off-the-shoulder, form fitting smocked top in 3-6month size.
I tried and tried to get those sleeves to go up on her shoulders. I'm telling you, this is how it's meant to be worn.

Obviously, she didn't leave the house in it and won't be wearing it again. Which I think is sad because the person who bought it had no idea I'm sure. I mean you just can't tell on a hanger.

Subvet said "Prosti-tots"
We talked about this all the way to Preschool today. What is this world coming to? Personally, I blame not only Brittany Spears, but also Mary Kate and Ashley (who appeal to a MUCH younger crowd.)

Thesaurus Thursday

Holy Cow, Wow,
It's Thursday again. Where did the week go??

OK, firstly (is that a word??) I need to let you folk know that I am once again becoming a lurker. Yes, I've been by all your places but I'm trying to pare down the amount of time I'm sitting in front of this silly machine so I'm not leaving comments. There are a couple of reasons for this, 1-I feel like a poop-cicle. Got a lot of congestion and a bad headache, been this way for a couple of days now. 2-I'm still trying desperately to finish Gator-boy's quilt. I have exactly 1 week left..... 3-For some reason my husband actually expects me to do the laundry...and fold the laundry...and put it away....hard to do while sitting in front of a screen all night.

OK, on to today's words. I don't remember exactly who, but someone asked for country/language of origin and pronouciation guide. I don't know how to access the phonetic symbols or I'd give the pronounciation guide...if someone can tell me how??

kapok
Javanese (or Malay of Java and Sumatra)

pretermit
Latin -- praetermittere


have fun making up silly definitions...maybe I'll pick a winning entry this week.....

Please help get the word out.

OK folks, this is a little different for me, but I feel incredibly strong about this so I'm going to get involved and ask you to do the same.

Our wonderful media are wreaking havoc on the friends and families of our military.

This is not right, but it will only stop if we make them feel it in the wallet.

The Children VS MightyMom

The Defendant is charged with the following:

Charge 1
Starving the children, as evidenced prior to each mealtime.

Charge 2
Neglecting the children, as evidenced each time the Defendant makes or receives a phone call.

Charge 3
Depriving the children, as evidenced each time the Defendant turns off the television.


Exhibit A



Exhibit B




Exhibit C

**enlarge to see cricket in the white circle**


Exhibit D





Exhibit E





Counter suit has been filed on the grounds that the children, without the knowledge or consent of the Defendant, did permanently adhere the following words to the Defendant's forehead:

Toddler Jungle gym
Infant Teething Ring
Human Pacifier

Reparations in the form of daily hugs and kisses are sought.


How does the jury find?????

You need a napkin

to wipe all the egg off your face.

Seriously folks, before we complain about what may be disrupting to us, let's remember that there may be a perfectly valid reason for the disruption.

I'll never forget the day I was stuck behind this looong line of cars creeping down the 4 lane highway. I was of course in a hurry and mentally cussing the driver of whatever car was holding up all this traffic...

only to find out that car was actually a hearse.

Happiness is a warm gun

according to John Lennon. Sonshine, however, thinks it's homemade Chicken Noodle soup made with shell pasta

and....




a straw that Mom gave to help suck up the juice, but that he thought was put to better use stabbing the shells,

and.......




looking at himself in the now cooled off pot when he was suppossed to be washing his hands.

and, of course....



a little post-meal chat with one of the two flies that graced us with their presence.

I was informed that this was the Daddy fly, the Mommy fly had left just before I took the picture to go find the baby flies.....









footnote:
How is it that a child who can't stand in one spot long enough for me to pull up his pants can be still enough to get this close to 2 flies on the window ledge????

T-T Answer

ramose adj having many branches; branching


rapacious adj 1) given to plundering. 2) inordinately greedy; predatory 3) (of animals) subsisting by the capture of living prey; predacious.

OK, so my brain's tired I can't think of a sentence using them....why don't you see if you can put both in the same sentence??? That could be funny!

I had Sonshine get in bed with me at 4:30am today. I think I'm going to head to bed now while everyone's asleep!!

I loved your definitions!! Y'all are great!

Show and Tell

Kelli is hosting show and tell Friday again

So, here's mine.




You are looking at homemade babyfood peas. I stated in a meme that I make my own babyfood simply because it's cheap. I thought I'd show you exactly how it's done and let you make the price comparison.






I always start with bags of frozen vegetables. Usually we get a generic brand but as you can see, we're high class this week! Now I have known moms that started with fresh veggies, some had gardens and grew their own, but I've always used frozen.

I cooked up 2 bags of peas just as though I were going to serve them at dinner. Without adding any butter, salt...or anything else. Then I drain the peas. Now, I usually catch the "cooked in water" in a pot under the collander.

I then put the peas in my blender, I add back enough "cooked in water" until the water level is about 1/3 as high as the level of peas. (This is a good starting point, especially when they're little and you have to add more water to get the food thin enough for them...as they get bigger you add less water and blend for shorter time...think stage 2 foods.) Then I start-er-up.




I stop every few seconds and stir the peas and see if they need more water till I get them the consistency I want.

Note: I only use the cooked in water because I've read that some nutrients leech out of veggies into the water as they boil...since you have to add water anyway, why not? It isn't necessary, you could use water straight from the tap if you want.

Next step:


I spoon the babyfood into ice cube trays. Each ice cube is about an ounce. This is 2 (1lb) bags of peas (see 2nd pic) and it made up 46oz of baby food. I encourage you to figure out how much you'd pay for 46oz of baby food made at home versus what you'd pay for the stuff on the baby aisle next time you go to the grocery store. From start to here, this batch has taken me about 30 minutes to fix.

Next I put the trays in the freezer for several hours. When they're frozen solid I transfer the baby food cubes to a baggie for easier storage.




At meal time I just grab a couple of cubes, zap em in the microwave and call it good. If we're going to be out and about at meal time I usually thaw them before we leave and take them in a tiny tupperware, since all there is in there is veggie and water they aren't going to spoil in a day. On trips I take a cooler. I've been known to thaw babyfood and breastmilk on the dashboard. :-)

She's currently eating about 5oz of food a day so this bag will last me more than a week. As they get bigger and eat more/larger variety I will have several bags in the freezer at a time to pick from. I think the most time I spent making food was about 1-2 hours a week. I just picked a day (usually on the weekend) and made a bunch of baby food. I usually write on the bag what is in it...although after awhile you can tell from the color. Spinach is darker than green beans which are darker than peas.....

At one time when I was making for Sonshine I'd exhausted all the fruit and veggie choices I could come up with to introduce him to so I went cruising the baby food aisle looking for ideas. I found out that he was eating a much larger variety than they had available, so I quit worrying. :-)

Thesaurus Thursday

Well, if you know nothing about me, you should know that I break rules.
Don't ask me why, I don't have an answer. So, here I am now breaking my own rules.

When I started this exercise I thought ok, I'll just open the Dictionary and pick a word on whatever page that I turn to, one word a week.

Well, this time I started flipping and searching for a word that maybe y'all won't know. Remember the whole point is not to test current knowledge, rather to increase knowledge. And I decided to pick 2 words...maybe if you do know one you won't know the other.

Remember to make up some silly definition for the comments and I'll give the answer on Sat. Maybe I should do a contest for the silliest definition like PenofJen does for picture captions every Tuesday....??? We'll see.

ramose
blogger spellcheck doesn't know this one!!


rapacious

Also, folks,
My mom had surgery this week and it's been rather stressful. So I've become a lurker at many of your sites. Know that just because you don't see a comment doesn't mean I haven't been by. I try to go to everyone on my blogroll daily, I just don't have much energy for commentary this week.

As much as I could handle tonight.

You are most like: You are Blue
You are cool and soothing, with a hidden spontanious side. You are deeper than most people percieve, and you care a lot for those whom you surround yourself with.
Take this quiz: Which Crayola Box of 8 Color Are You?
Visit Toys For Your Blog.com for more blog quizzes

It would be funny to see if those who know me would agree.

Pretty as a Picture

Well, I'd had a hard day today.



When what to my wondering eyes should appear.....
(You should know that literary allusion!)







I can't decide which is cuter, the hands holding the blanket while she's sleeping.

Or the little foot sticking out!

Sheep, Wolf or Sheepdog.

I just took this in it's entirety from Cookie at The Cook Shack. My husband is a Sheepdog. I've always known this, but never been able to find the words...till Cookie found them for me. I'm very proud to be married to a Sheepdog!!

Cookie writes:
Well Sir....this GREAT letter was sent to me by a woman who's son made the ultimate sacrifice for our great Nation, Susan Gertson. It doesn't get any simpler as what this author states.....

Sheep, Wolf or Sheepdog.....

This letter was written by Charles Grennel and his comrades who are veterans of the Global War on Terror. Grennel is an Army Reservist who spent two years in Iraq and was a principal in putting together the first Iraq elections, January of 2005.

It was written to Jill Edwards, a student at the University of Washington who did not want to honor Medal of Honor winner Colonel Greg Boyington with a plaque. Greg Boyington was a graduate of UW, and a USMC pilot during WW-II. Miss Edwards objection was because he had killed people.

Ms. Edwards and other students (and faculty) do not think those who serve in the U.S. armed services are good role models. _________

To: Edwards, Jill (student, UW) Subject: Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs

Miss Edwards, I read of your student activity regarding the proposed memorial to Col. Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive a bellyful of angry e-mails from other military men like me.

You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of servicemen and servicewomen on whose shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naivete.

It may be that you are, simply, a sheep. There's no dishonor in being a sheep as long as you know and accept what you are.

William J. Bennett, in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997 said:

"Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident. We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. They are sheep.

Then there are the wolves and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

Then there are sheepdogs. I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf. If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf.

But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the uncharted path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed."

We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed.

The world can not work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, Baa. Until the wolf shows up; then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.

Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle.

That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes. The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference. You want to be able to make a difference.

There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.

Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When they learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd and the other passengers confronted the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers, athletes, business people and parents from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.

"There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men."... Edmund Burke.

"Only the dead have seen the end of war."... Plato

Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice.

But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you.

If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love.

But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between.

Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. It's ok to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheep dog.

Indeed, the sheep dog may just run a little harder, strive to protect a little better and be fully prepared to pay an ultimate price in battle and spirit with the sheep moving from baa to thanks.

We do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. We just need a small pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank which is drained protecting the sheep. And when our number is called by The Almighty, and day retreats into night, a small prayer before the heavens just may be in order to say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep. And be grateful for the thousands, millions of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.

MightyMom strikes again

We went to a play area in the mall today. There were several small kids and these 2 older boys. The 2 older boys were jumping off the equipment (which is expressly forbidden). It was an accident waiting to happen. As soon as I realized that the mothers of the 2 boys were sitting next to me I decided I'd had enough.

I start saying (loudly) to no one in particular that they needed to quit jumping before they land on my kid.

I kept up this running commentay until one of the mothers got up and started patrolling her kid.

The other mother was oblivious.

I went to feed Sugars, when I got back those two mothers were gone.

I told Subvet my next step would have been to go up to the mother and tell her if she couldn't make her kid follow the rules of the playground I'd get mall security and have them removed.

Now here's the reason I'm sharing this. I had been told ahead of time by the mom I went with that this scenario plays out often when she's there and she doesn't know what to say.

Folks, don't sit there and have to choose between putting up with it or leaving. THEY'RE the ones breaking the rules. If you make it uncomfortable enough for them, they'll leave.

There was another little boy there who kept going up to the little ones and pulling hair and pinching faces.

Now my 3 year old was actually taller than the 42" marker and Gator-boy isn't still long enough for this kid to concern me. But I watched another mother first tell her girl to tell the boy not to pull her hair, then tell the boy's mother when he pinched her girl's cheek hard enough to make it red. The mother did nothing! If my kids were in danger from this cretin, I'd have told that mom I was gonna spank her child the next time he touched my kid. And I would have said it LOUDLY.

DO NOT ALLOW TINKLE-POOR PARENTS & THEIR LITTLE SNOTS TO RULE THE PLAYGROUND!!!!!!!

It is up to us to stand up for our children in all situations, this is how they learn that it's OK to stand up for themselves.

And if you're not quick on your feet, plan out what you'd say in different situations ahead of time.

OK now everyone sing with me....little 80s flashback here.

We're not gonna take it
no
we ain't gonna take it
we're not gonna take it
anymore!

Potty Training 103

If you've read 101 and 102 then you know what color wall I've been beating my head up against this summer!

I want to say off the top, if any of you have suggestions for getting an Asperger's/Autistic boy to actually pee in the pot I'd love to hear them.

Now, to his Daddy's great aggravation, Sonshine is a third generation Beatle Maniac. So today we're sitting on the pot for the zillionth time waiting on 'Eureka' and Sonshine asks me to sing Get Back.

For some reason my two remaining brain cells decided to work at the same time and I thought....A-HA! A potty song is just what we need! I mean, after all, 1/2 his vocabulary came from songs.....

So here you go
sung to the tune of Get Back

Sonshine was a boy who really needed to tee-tee
Tee-tee in the potty now

Sonshine's mama said would you please, please, please tee-tee
Tee-tee in the potty now

chorus
Tee-tee
Tee-tee
Tee Tee-tee in the potty now

Tee-tee
Tee-tee
Tee Tee-tee in the potty now

TEE-TEE SONSHINE!

Tag, You're IT!

Did you happen to notice my name in the sand up at the top there?
Well that's part of a tag-game that Jen started.
Here's the "rules"
My challenge to my blog friends is this: write 8 of your blog friends names in a unique way and post them. Then come back over and let me know. You must write the blogger's name that tagged you, then add 7 others. Be creative and if possible use the natural wonders of the world!

Well, the only natural wonder of the world that I used was my brain...which it is a natural wonder the thing still works (if only on every third day). However, I had fun and as you can see, I had a bit of help.




Next up is Stephanie at Scraps



Susan at Penless Writer



Diane at Diane's Place


Linda at Are We There Yet?


Kitty at Kitty's Korner


PEA at PEA's Corner


Heather at The Zoo


And here's a taste of the trouble that I went to for this silly tag.




Mr. Boots seems to think that this $10 spool of quilting thread is his. As you can see from the state it's in, this isn't the first time he's stolen it. What cracks me up is that out of ALL my thread, he kept stealing this one. He actually dug through the lot to get it out in the first place! Which is what he's doing in Linda's picture.

Anyway I can't wait to see what you guys do with this!!

Thursday's Answer and other stuff

jute
1) a strong coarse fiber used for making burlap, gunny, cordage, etc. obtained from two East Indian plants, Corchorus capsularis and C. olitorius, of the linden family. 2) either of these plants.

So, if I compared my Grandpa to jute would that be a compliment or an insult??


Pickles anyone??

As I was putting bread and butter pickles on my toasted tuna salad and cheese sandwhich today I lost my grip (as if I ever had one!) and spilled the juice from the pickle jar all over my countertop. Now my whole house smells like bread and butter pickles!!


Early morning show.

Sonshine and Speedygirl (the cat) don't exactly get along. As a matter of fact it's a love/hate relationship. He loves her, she hates him.

"Oh lovely pussy oh pussy my love, what a beautiful pussy you are...." Name that poem anyone??? (and get your minds OUT of the gutter, we're talking about 4 legged cats here.)

Sonshine realized yesterday that he can open his bedroom door...so much for mom sleeping late while the boys played in their room :-P

Speedygirl sleeps on my side of the bed kinda in front of my belly.

So, early this morning the troops come traisping into my room. Speedygirl is now nose to nose with a thrilled Sonshine. She hisses. Big time!!! Great big ol ticked off kitty hiss.

Sonshine looks at me and says, "Speedy has snots. She needs a tissue."

I told Subvet I would have LOVED to have seen him try to blow her nose!!!

laugh out loud

yes, another no beverages warning is in order here!

Stole it from The Chief

Show and Tell

Kelli is hosting show and tell Friday again

So, here's mine.


Oh where oh where has this summer gone, oh where oh where could it beeeee???

School starts 3 weeks from yesterday. I wanted to finish Gator-boy's baby quilt for him to take to school with him for nap time.



Haha, I haven't worked on it at all this summer. Guess I'd better get cracking!
And as for Sugars' baby quilt? Haven't even bought fabric for that one yet!! Good thing there aren't going to be any more babies. They'd get their quilts as graduation gifts!!!

Change is Good

OK, I got tired of blue.
Decided to try out my alma mater colors.
Baylor University is Green and Gold. Supposedly some guy saw a field of daffodils and liked the colors. We'll see if this stays. Makes the links harder to read I think....

To quote Number 5 "Need more input. Need more input."
aahhh, name that movie and I'll give you another of my (very few) recipes ;-)

Tell me what you think...got a color recommendation?

Go and See!!

Y'all just got to see this buffalo take care of family business!!

Always remember, Don't mess with the Daddy!!

Grinning with Gritted Teeth

My children are incredibly endearing and incredibly aggravating....often at the same time.......

Like when Gator-boy is running across the living room as fast as he can and without slowing down runs right into your knees. He uses his belly like a bumper car and tries to see how far back he can bounce. Giggling the whole time.

Gator-boy is again messing with Sugars' swing. I say "Gator! Stop that!....ONE" Sonshine says, "two, three you're gonna get a spanking!"

You're driving along, got Veggie Tales music playing on the back speakers. Boys are just hanging out quietly enjoying the scenery. Then all of a sudden Sonshine "sings" the last word of a song at the top of his voice. First time he did that to Subvet (who has hearing loss and can't hear the tunes when turned to the back speakers) he almost ran off the road.

During that precious time of day known as nap-time just when you think everyone's asleep and you can relax a bit, you hear the sound of giggling coming from the boys' room.

While playing with the baby you notice a smell. You know, oooh that smell, can'tcha smell that smell... You're thinking this must have been a power dump so you go stock up on baby wipes..get an extra diaper just in case...break out the hazmat uniform from Mr. Mom, complete with clothespin for your nose...only to open up the diaper and find ghost poop. You know what ghost poop is don'tcha? All smell, no substance. That kid done faked you out.

Thesaurus Thursday

Well it's Thursday again (well almost) and so it's time for me to pick up my handy Webster's College Dictionary and see what page I grab at.

Well, funny thing, I know the meanings for almost all the words on this page. But there was 1 that I didn't, although I won't be surprised if some of you do know it.

Our word this week is
jute

That's jute and not Jute.
Jute the proper noun is a member of a Germanic people that invaded Britain in the 5th century AD, settling mainly in Kent.

It's nice to see a public reference book that still uses AD instead of CE. Of course this particular version of Webster was printed in 1992 so that may have something to do with it.

As always, have fun creating your own meanings for our word of the week and I'll put up the real meaning on Saturday!

Best Shot

OK, I'm gonna join in something new here.
I got the idea from Linda at Are We There Yet?

Here's the scoop

Chris's idea is "to breathe some fresh air into old posts, to share some linkage, to expose readers to new blogs (now will be a good time to de-lurk and publicize your blog!) and maybe get each other some more traffic." What he's suggesting is that you go through your archives, find a post that you thought was pretty dang good but wasn't very well received or was written so long ago that your now devoted group of followers never saw it to begin with, and link to it in a new post (i.e., this one!) To do that he proposes that you follow these simple rules:

Write a post telling your readers about your ‘best shot’ and link them to it.
Link back to the blog which first asked you to give your best shot.
Ask your readers for their best posts, and then ensure you read and comment on them.

Now, I haven't been blogging too long, but there were a couple that folks seemed to skip over that I just loved. Of course, I can't just do one...neither could Linda :-)
So I'll put them in categories of sorts.

This first I'm gonna link to is Soothing the Savage Beast That savage beast would be me. I absolutely adore this video. I will go back and watch it any time I'm feeling stressed.

Next up is Look Before You Touch. This is such a classic "Mommy Chronicles" story that I wanted to share it again.

My first ever post Credit Cards is pure irony.

Then, there is my all time favorite Wait...weight. It actually doesn't fit the criteria for this exercise...however, when have I EVER followed the rules?? This thing just cracks me up. It's another one that I'll go back and rewatch over and over again. Since Cookie at The Cook Shack stole it from me (I'm sooo honored!!) I'm sure many of you've seen it already by now. But sometimes, we just have to enjoy a good laugh!

OK, Lurkers, de-lurk and tell me about your favorite posts. Commentators, comment away and don't forget to come tell me when you put up your "best shot"

It's Good to be Missed.

Many of you wonderful bloggin buddies have mentioned that you missed me over the weekend and have given me a welcome back complete with red carpet.

I do appreciate that greatly.

It was funny, I wasn't sure my boys would notice I was gone. Especially since Subvet made sure they stayed busy.




Subvet made a point of telling me each night when we spoke that Sonshine had asked when I'd be home. However, we just didn't know about Gator-boy because he doesn't talk much, yet.

When I got home Sunday evening, Subvet was fixing supper. I sat in the living room with the kids. Alligator (my rather hyper "motor driven" child) spent the entire time from when I walked in to when supper was ready in my lap. When he would get down for a little of his normal up-down-up-down routine, he held both of my hands. Wouldn't let me go.

We've been working on getting him to say "mama" as a name for me. To do this we frequently will say "Where's mama?" and then point to me. He didn't respond at all to this until this week. He's done it consistently for 3 days now. Of course, this is the week that his speech therapist is on vacation so I'm just hoping he keeps it up so we can brag when we see her next.

So, I was missed, and it is nice.

I'm very glad to be back home and blogging again.

And thanks to all of you for your kind and thoughtful words.

Getting the dirt.

So, during my trip to Shreveport I noticed this on Hwy 69 between Mineola and Lindale.


The picture didn't come out as well, but that dirt is red. I was surprised to find red dirt that far south.

Here's what my backyard looks like.




Notice the cracks?? This here is clay soil. Doesn't drain. Doesn't hold water. It's CLAY. We've been 3 or 4 days without rain. These pics were taken of the high ground, the low ground still has some standing water. A friend of mine was preparing to move recently, they were wanting to buy acreage in order to farm. She kept saying "I want off of black dirt!"

Truly this stuff stinks! There are no basements around these parts and you have to water your foundation. Subvet thought I was crazy when we first bought our house and I kept telling him to water the house. "What? Is it gonna grow another room?!!" Now we wish it would haha.

See, if you don't water the house the dirt pulls away from the slab and your foundation shifts causing cracks in your walls and door/cabinets/windows that won't open and shut right. Where the dirt is all nicely tilled up around the house in the first picture is evidence of our foundation repair work that was done last Spring. Without worms, nothing would grow because the dirt forms hard clumps and the roots get no aeration. When you go to plant a flower bed the first thing you do is go to the store and BUY dirt.

So, now I ask you. What kind of dirt do you have?

it's here! it's here!

Well, it came today! Susan at Penless Writer had a raffle for her 6 month blogoversary and I WON!



Thank you so much Susan! This is very special to me!

I'm baaaaack!!!!!

Hi there folks. I'm gonna keep this one short since I have a TON of your reading to catch up on :-)

If you've been reading this silly blog for very long you'll know that I have a "quirky" sense of humor and sometimes things strike me as funny that other people "don't get." Here's something from this weekend that struck me as simply hilarious.

OK, y'all all know that I've been talking a lot lately about our new gun and all the associated issues (I like that word, nice and generic) with getting it.

Over the weekend I learned that my 83 year old Grandaddy qualified for the Florida Concealed Handgun License 3 months ago and until his death carried a .357. Why Fla? Apparently it's the most difficult and as such is recognized in all 50 states, which is funny since other than Sugars' baptism he never left Louisiana.

Seems that he out-shot everyone else in his CHL class. Only 2 outside of the bull's eye, those two only just outside the line.

Now, we know that he was a sharpshooter in WWII, but how on earth did he continue to be able to shoot that well??

That's the hilarious part.

Squirrels.

Yup, squirrels.

My grandmother had a bunch of bird feeders set up around their back porch and she hated for the squirrels to come and eat the birdseed. Grandaddy had a pump action air rifle (BB's) that he kept by the sliding glass door and anytime there was a squirrel he'd shoot at it. "Just to scare it off." He told me. HAHA. He even kept using that rifle after he broke the stock off it.

I always wondered WHAT he was feeding to the black bobcat (which he thought was a panther) who lived in the woods just past his back fence.

Show and Tell

Kelli is hosting show and tell Friday again

So, here's mine.

In a recent meme I said:

3) I qualified for the Concealed Handgun License the first time I'd ever been shooting.
True
Yup, I have the green man target to prove it. It was actually my 2nd time on the range, but the first time the trigger of my revolver was so stiff I couldn't fire the stinkin thing. The 2nd time I went to the range was when I met up with an instructor who fixed the trigger. I did not grow up around guns and have had NO experience so Subvet and I thought starting with a trained instructor would be the smartest way to go. I must say it felt good when after putting 3 shots of my first 6 either in the X or the 10 ring (the other 3 all went in the 9) he said, "Well, you don't need me anymore...." (For you who want to know, it was at 7 yards)
Now I just have to save up the $300 to take the class....
On a related thought, I've been asked by a couple of people upon learning that we now have a gun in the house "Would you really shoot someone?" My answer hasn't wavered. I HAVE THREE BABIES TO PROTECT. As my instructor pointed out (he also teaches self defense) egress from my home if invaded ISN'T good. I will have to stand and fight and I will do ANYTHING wait, EVERYTHING NECESSARY to protect my babies. Also, we bought the exploding bullets that (supposedly) won't go through walls so anyone who enters my home without my permission better be prepared to die. And yes, I do answer the door gun in hand. I'll tell you the reasons for all this home defense in another post.

Today's show and tell is the target. Subvet keeps telling me to be sure and say that I "started in the center then moved outward as my hands got tired." It is true, but I'm not sure what difference it makes. (I'm a novice remember.) There are 24 holes in that paper, if you're interested.




I also figure I'll tell you the reason why I finally let him get me the gun. He's wanted us to have a gun in the house ever since 9/11/01. I kept over ruling him, until this happened

We live in a small town. When we moved here the city limit sign said pop 2,300. It now says 5,600. Nope, I didn't forget any zeros. It's a SMALL town. One fine day when I was 8 months pregnant (the last time) I had both boys asleep in the van so instead of pulling into my driveway (which always wakes them up) I parked on the street in front of my house to let them sleep. As I sat there an "old" man (my guess is 60-70ish) walked up to my house, opened the storm/screen door and tried the doorknob. He stood there for a min or two, during which time I'm calling 911 on my cell phone from the car. He then walked down the street to the cross street. Now the road I live on is not a thru street and we're only a couple of houses from the corner. He went up to no other houses, just straight to mine. He turned down the cross road towards the back of my house. We don't have an alley, we share our back fence with the back fence of the houses on the next street. Meanwhile I'm giving 911 as accurate a description of the man as I can while I'm looking at him. The operator says she'll send someone out. The guy comes back up to my house (bypassing all the other houses) and this time knocks on the storm/screen door. Waits a bit then walks off again. I'm thinking a friend in blue should be turning the corner any second now...hopefully to catch the guy in my lawn. 2 hours later I call her back and ask where on earth my friendly neighborhood cop is. She says to me, "Did you want contact? You didn't say you wanted contact." I didn't know that I had to REQUEST for a cop to come talk to me when a guy just tried to walk in my house. Well, we went back and forth a bit and the next morning Subvet has a little tete a tete with our local chief of police. Turns out the call went from the county 911 operator to the city officers as a "WELFARE CHECK ON A CONFUSED OLD MAN." It's a good thing Subvet was there and not me.

Now, don't get me wrong, I know several of you readers are police officers. The city police officers did nothing wrong in any of this story as far as Subvet and I can determine. It was the 911 operator. I ended up (after a week of tracking this down and having everyone and their dog listen to the tapes of both calls) speaking to the 911 supervisor. She said she'd have put it out as a "suspicious circumstance" I said hey, I'll go for that, but that's a darn sight different from a "welfare check." I asked her why it went as a welfare check...."well, we go by tone of voice and the choice of words..." I interrupted her. Folks, I'd make a tinkle poor nurse if I broke down in hysterics at every emergency. I thanked her for letting me know that next time this happened I needed to cry and yell that some guy was trying to get in my house...help help help...and oh by the way...I'd actually like to speak to the officer sent out to investigate, pretty please!!!! Then, perhaps, it will get off the bottom of the totem pole of 911 calls.

Turns out, the operator who took my calls did get reprimanded over this. She a) should have sent it out as a suspicious circumstance (I mean really, if there's any question wouldn't you like them to choose the more potentially dangerous of the choices??) and she b) should have asked in the first call whether I wanted to speak to an officer or was just "letting them know." However, this incident greatly undermined our confidence in our officers' ability to protect us. I mean, the poor guy in blue on the street can only go by what he's told by the 911 operators. This, sadly, reinforced Subvet's belief that the city police are simply the "clean up crew" who come by after all is said and done. We therefore need to be able to protect ourselves. To any officers who may be reading this saga. I do truly hope that I've not offended you.

What is terribly scary is that had I gone on inside with the babies there was (at that time) a good possibility that the door would have been unlocked when the guy first tried the knob and he would have been in the house. Now THAT 911 call would have sounded a bit different!!